Not one to be left out of the current fascination
of for reality programming, LexisNexis is staging the first ever
reality-based contest where first-year associate attorneys compete
in career-associated challenges to win the title of Ultimate Associate
2003. The winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip for two to
a luxurious, tropical location.

Though the filing deadline has passed for this Survivor-like
contest, you can still participate. LexisNexis judges are currently
deciding upon 12 semifinalists. Four finalists will ultimately be
selected by peer voting to compete in online 'challenges,' described
by LexisNexis as 'career-building tasks designed to educate
and entertain their virtual audience — and ultimately their judges — who
will vote to crown the final Ultimate Associate.' The contest
will run through July, with the finalist being announced July 30.

To follow the trials (no pun intended) and tribulations of the finalists, visit the 'Associate Community' at www. lexisnexis.com.

MISSED MANNERS

Law schools may want to add etiquette classes to their list of course requirements for would-be attorneys, a new survey shows.

Close to half (49 percent) of attorneys polled recently said the level of civility between lawyers has decreased over the past five years. Only 13 percent of respondents believe attorneys today are more courteous to their peers.

The survey was developed by The Affiliates, a staffing service for attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 200 attorneys among the nation’s 1,200 largest law firms.

'Good manners have taken on greater importance, given
the increased focus on project teams in legal firms,' said Kathleen Call,
executive director of The Affiliates. 'When it comes to interacting with
co-workers and clients, strong interpersonal or ‘soft’ skills are as necessary
as education and legal experience.'

JURY AWARDS DOWN, THEN UP POST 9/11

Large jury verdict awards to individuals plaintiffs sagged considerably in the U.S. during the 12 months following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — but American juries’ frugality disappeared, especially in the last part of 2002. Overall, jury awards surged in the latter part of last year.

Topping the list: a record-setting $28 billion award to a smoker in California — nearly six times larger than the previous 2002 record verdict. A $225 million verdict against Ford was one of the largest personal injury awards in history against an auto manufacturer, according to Lawyers Weekly USA, a legal newspaper that tracks large verdicts.

'There was an obvious change in U.S. courtrooms following
Sept. 11 — big-money cases were either settled or their trials were delayed.
But that impact was relatively short-lived, as the year ended with record setting
jury awards last year. An unprecedented six verdicts of $80-million-plus came
down in the last quarter of 2002,' said attorney Paul Martinek, editor
and publisher.

Why are women so dramatically underrepresented in formal leadership positions-and what can be done to improve the situation? The Difference 'Difference' Makes: Women and Leadership takes up those questions in the crucial, practical contexts of law, politics, and business-the arenas in which women’s leadership has the most public influence. Bridging the worlds of theory and practice, this book brings news insights to long-standing questions about the difference gender differences make, both in access to leadership and in its exercise.

The publication is a collection of essays from a women’s leadership summit co-sponsored by the American Bar Association Office of the President, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, and Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The summit was convened by then-ABA President Martha Barnett who said, 'We are obligated to finish the agenda started so many decades ago by true pioneers of our profession.'

Contributors to the collection include some of the nation’s most distinguished women leaders and most respected scholars on women and leadership, including former Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder; former NOW president Patricia Ireland; and Judith Resnik, the Arthur Liman Professor of Law, Yale Law School.

The Difference 'Difference' Makes: Women and Leadership is available in hardcover for $45.00 or paperback for $17.95, plus shipping, online at www.sup.org or by phone, (800) 621-2736.